The last three days have been spent lunging Alex, trying to get back in the swing of things. Although I am still soaking and wrapping his foot and we have 9 more days of antibiotics, he can be lightly worked. I had started toward this goal prior to Christmas, but failed miserably during the holidays. He's been feeling pretty good lately and has spent a good amount of time having what I like to call "thoroughbred moments" about one corner of the indoor, so I figured we needed to take a step back and get some consistent work done on the lunge line before I got back in the saddle.
For the most part, the lunging has gone well, with a few exuberant interludes. Some of his naughtiness is due, in part, to the fact that I think the long term antibiotics have irritated his
ulcer. He's back on the UlcerGuard at least until we finish these meds and probably shortly thereafter. I can't get too mad at him, I have my own stomach problems and definitely have trouble concentrating on my work when my stomach bothers me :-)
I'm also starting him on SmartDigest from SmartPak to (hopefully) put some of the "good bugs" back into his gut. I'm sure all the antibiotics have really done a number on his "bugs." We'll see if that helps. Generally, I have been very pleased with all the SmartPak supplements I've used, not to mention their shipping is super fast (even free over $75) and customer service is awesome.
Tomorrow, I'm going to lunge him in tack with the intent to get back in the saddle. We'll see how things go... Hopefully I'll get to ride...I'm going through withdrawal, since I've only been on him three times since October. Of course, knowing Alex, there will be a surprise... could be good, could be not so good... just have to wait and see!
Friday, January 4, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
All Good Things...
"Amazing Horses Do Not Just Happen," but they do come into your life unexpectedly.
As I wrote in Gryff's "bio," I’d be dishonest if I said that the first time I saw or even rode Gryff it was instant love. Actually I had quite the opposite reaction. I wasn't impressed with his looks and was appalled by his behavior, but his movement did peak my interest. It took the first year riding him to establish that I was going to win battle of the wills. I've never worked so hard to ride a horse and to this day, I am still not sure why I was initially so determined. Perhaps it was because I was tired of being told he couldn't or he wouldn't ever achieve the goals I set for him. But again, I am not sure what told me he could or would achieve those goals. I just knew and the longer our partnership lasted the more convinced I became.
Don't get me wrong, this isn't one of those horse stories where all the sudden the horse just becomes perfect. Remember, "Amazing Horses Do Not Just Happen." It was frustrating, we’d go forward two steps and back six; and this went on throughout our partnership. Patience, stubbornness and determination sustained us both.
Gryff and I have given each other so much. I could list all the competitions and ribbons, but perhaps I should just stick to the most memorable moments. Never in my life have I crossed the finish line of cross-country with my arms wrapped around my horse's neck, shouting and crying tears of joy, but I did...with this horse. I have never had an emotional reaction like that to the accomplishment of a riding goal. The only other time I've ever cried happy tears from an overflow of emotion like that was at my wedding if that gives you some perspective. With the completion of what turned out to be Gryff's first and last recognized Novice horse trial, we achieved the ultimate goal I had set so many years ago. And you know what? I still kind of can't believe we did it, but I must have believed we could do it, or I never would have made the attempt.
Then there's the little moments... somehow without realizing it, I fell for Gryff and even though I didn't own him he became so much more than a horse to me, he was a friend. "The love for a horse is just as complicated as the love for another human being… if you never love a horse, you will never understand.”
What Gryff has taught me about myself as a rider, I don't think I would ever have found with another horse. I have literally sweated, cried and bled for this horse. There has only been one other horse to touch my life in that way and still it isn't the same. I truly believe Gryff was born to be an event horse. I sometimes imagine the levels he could have gone to if Eventing had come into his life sooner. I wish my skills and resources had allowed us to move up the levels faster, but time and age catch up with us all and I suppose it wasn't meant to be. Maybe he came into my life to give me courage... the courage to take the leap and start Alex.
Someone once said life is what happens while you're busy making other plans... five years with Gryff now seems incredibly short. Maybe I spent so much time pushing toward my goals that I didn't take enough time to enjoy the ride. It's not that I didn't appreciate Gryff during our partnership or that now, all the sudden, I'm having some sort of epiphany, but sometimes it takes coming to the end of something to really gain perspective. So here's my advice... take the time to enjoy the ride on every horse, even if you don't own it, even if you're not sure it's the one, because relationships change and grow and if you don't see how that horse has touched your heart until your time together is over ...it's too late.
After his accident in the Fall, I made the decision that Gryff and I would not be competing in 2013 and that I would solely focus on Alex. After all, Gryff is now 19 and although he thinks he's five, sadly he's not. This hasn't been easy, but it's the best thing for him and that is what matters. Gryff's done everything I've ever asked of him and never asked anything in return... it's time.
All good things, have to come to an end.
Love you Gryffster :-)
Buh-Bye 2012
It's been a "Long December" and November and October... so much has happened since my last post that this one is going to be lengthy.
At the time of my last post, I was not so patiently waiting for another pocket of abscess to burst in the same foot. The evening of November 2nd, I got my wish. When I arrived at the barn to soak and re-wrap his foot before I went out of town, the abscess had burst out the same hole. The drainage shocked me at first because it was so gooey and... bloody. I thought, oh crap, he's stepped on himself or something AND I am supposed to be leaving town! After I soaked his foot and had a quick conversation with my vet, I wrapped him back up. Then I called my friend Stephanie, who had agreed to take care of Alex while I was gone and updated her on the latest developments. Once all ducks were in a row, I reluctantly left town.
Over the next two days, I got my information second hand... which absolutely killed me, because I am a very hands on owner. The abscess continued to drain out the original hole and then began breaking through his sole. This thing truly was a monster! I arrived home Sunday night to find that Alex had conveniently ripped his bandage off in the paddock. In the process of cleaning his foot up, a portion of the sole (where the abscess had been sitting) began to shed off. You can still see the other drain hole at the coronary band on the same side of his foot.
Now, one would think that this would most certainly be the END of this whole series of events. We had finally slain the monster.... right? I thought so, and went about getting his foot dried up so we could finally put a shoe back on him. Alex was still slightly lame, so my farrier and I agreed that he was probably a little tender from being without a shoe. No sooner than we got a nice pretty shoe on than I got another surprise. He was shedding his frog! I know this happens all the time, but usually in the field or trimmed by the farrier. I've never seen it like this and must admit it's pretty wild :-)
Then a few days later, he started shedding more sole....
During all this "shedding" Alex continued to be lame, even with the shoe. I packed his foot with Magic Cushion in hopes that the extra padding would make him jog/lunge sound, but he was still just slightly off. I kept feeling like there had to still be something in there, another deep pocket of abscess. Grrrr....
On November 23rd (the day after Thanksgiving), I had the vet out to look at Alex's foot and tell me if he thought we needed x-rays. Alex was of course wound like a top, wiggling all over the place and basically being naughty (which is my pet peeve when a farrier/vet is coming to look at my horse). After a jog and some "hoof testing," the vet said he thought Alex just had a rotten foot and that we hadn't used strong enough antibiotics the first time around. Translation, there's more abscess in there, yank his shoe and go back to wrapping with ichthammol and soaking; get it to open up so we can hit it with Penicillin and start working him to push all the crap out. He couldn't give me a timeline, said it could take a few weeks or two months and that we'd have to wait a bit on mother nature. Although it wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear, I was elated that he didn't think there was rotation of the coffin bone or that it was time for xrays.
So back to the drawing board... November 26th my farrier came and pulled his shoe.
After about 4-5 days of the wrapping/soaking protocol, a small soft (and painful) spot appeared in the opposite side of his hoof toward his toe. I was hopeful this was the "break through" we'd been anxiously awaiting. It was, but we didn't have your typical "burst." A hole opened up, but the "gunk" inside was very thick and didn't really burst through. It was time for Penicillin... unfortunately it was also time to start soaking twice per day which is hard for a working gal. My mornings started coming earlier and earlier.
For those who don't know, injectable Penicillin is very thick and must be kept cold. The thickness means you have to use a huge (18-16 gauge) needle to get it in, unless you want to be there all day. Adding to the fun, it needs to be injected right into the muscle. You can't inject the same place twice because it becomes painful to the horse, so the injection sites need to be rotated, meaning you can't just use the neck (every one's favorite injection site). You can imagine how much I was NOT looking forward to injecting my horse twice a day with a huge needle full of several CCs of thick antibiotic. Lucky for me, my mom was around to help.
I cannot overstate how proud I am of Alex and his reaction to this treatment. We did put a lip chain on him to keep him still, but he endured 10 days of twice a day injections and only threatened (pretty weakly if you ask me) to kick my mom once. For any horse this would be awesome, but for my 5 year-old barely re-started OTTB, it's downright amazing.
By December 10th the hole tracked deeper and some new gunk came out along with a little more blood, we were really getting somewhere now.
Alex started a second oral antibiotic (the second part of the 1-2 punch) on December 15th and will have that twice per day for 30 days. In the mean time, I continue soaking/wrapping and working him in his bandage.
Slowly, painfully slowly, he got more and more sound. Finally, I got an early Christmas present! After nearly three months of killing myself, worrying, waiting and hoping...SOUNDNESS!!! Not only that, but the "hitch" in his trot that I had originally thought might just be "part of him" was gone. Oh boy was it gone, he has a TROT and he's not even fully schooled on the flat! I don't think I stopped smiling for about 24 hours.
So, we are currently on day 18 of the oral antibiotic, still soaking/wrapping/working at my vet's request, but there's light at the end of this tunnel :-)
At the time of my last post, I was not so patiently waiting for another pocket of abscess to burst in the same foot. The evening of November 2nd, I got my wish. When I arrived at the barn to soak and re-wrap his foot before I went out of town, the abscess had burst out the same hole. The drainage shocked me at first because it was so gooey and... bloody. I thought, oh crap, he's stepped on himself or something AND I am supposed to be leaving town! After I soaked his foot and had a quick conversation with my vet, I wrapped him back up. Then I called my friend Stephanie, who had agreed to take care of Alex while I was gone and updated her on the latest developments. Once all ducks were in a row, I reluctantly left town.
Over the next two days, I got my information second hand... which absolutely killed me, because I am a very hands on owner. The abscess continued to drain out the original hole and then began breaking through his sole. This thing truly was a monster! I arrived home Sunday night to find that Alex had conveniently ripped his bandage off in the paddock. In the process of cleaning his foot up, a portion of the sole (where the abscess had been sitting) began to shed off. You can still see the other drain hole at the coronary band on the same side of his foot.
 |
| Alex's foot after pocket of abscess #2 burst |
Now, one would think that this would most certainly be the END of this whole series of events. We had finally slain the monster.... right? I thought so, and went about getting his foot dried up so we could finally put a shoe back on him. Alex was still slightly lame, so my farrier and I agreed that he was probably a little tender from being without a shoe. No sooner than we got a nice pretty shoe on than I got another surprise. He was shedding his frog! I know this happens all the time, but usually in the field or trimmed by the farrier. I've never seen it like this and must admit it's pretty wild :-)
 |
| November 18th - Shedding Frog |
Then a few days later, he started shedding more sole....
 |
| November 20th - Shedding Sole |
During all this "shedding" Alex continued to be lame, even with the shoe. I packed his foot with Magic Cushion in hopes that the extra padding would make him jog/lunge sound, but he was still just slightly off. I kept feeling like there had to still be something in there, another deep pocket of abscess. Grrrr....
On November 23rd (the day after Thanksgiving), I had the vet out to look at Alex's foot and tell me if he thought we needed x-rays. Alex was of course wound like a top, wiggling all over the place and basically being naughty (which is my pet peeve when a farrier/vet is coming to look at my horse). After a jog and some "hoof testing," the vet said he thought Alex just had a rotten foot and that we hadn't used strong enough antibiotics the first time around. Translation, there's more abscess in there, yank his shoe and go back to wrapping with ichthammol and soaking; get it to open up so we can hit it with Penicillin and start working him to push all the crap out. He couldn't give me a timeline, said it could take a few weeks or two months and that we'd have to wait a bit on mother nature. Although it wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear, I was elated that he didn't think there was rotation of the coffin bone or that it was time for xrays.
So back to the drawing board... November 26th my farrier came and pulled his shoe.
 |
| November 26th - Shoe Pulled |
After about 4-5 days of the wrapping/soaking protocol, a small soft (and painful) spot appeared in the opposite side of his hoof toward his toe. I was hopeful this was the "break through" we'd been anxiously awaiting. It was, but we didn't have your typical "burst." A hole opened up, but the "gunk" inside was very thick and didn't really burst through. It was time for Penicillin... unfortunately it was also time to start soaking twice per day which is hard for a working gal. My mornings started coming earlier and earlier.
For those who don't know, injectable Penicillin is very thick and must be kept cold. The thickness means you have to use a huge (18-16 gauge) needle to get it in, unless you want to be there all day. Adding to the fun, it needs to be injected right into the muscle. You can't inject the same place twice because it becomes painful to the horse, so the injection sites need to be rotated, meaning you can't just use the neck (every one's favorite injection site). You can imagine how much I was NOT looking forward to injecting my horse twice a day with a huge needle full of several CCs of thick antibiotic. Lucky for me, my mom was around to help.
I cannot overstate how proud I am of Alex and his reaction to this treatment. We did put a lip chain on him to keep him still, but he endured 10 days of twice a day injections and only threatened (pretty weakly if you ask me) to kick my mom once. For any horse this would be awesome, but for my 5 year-old barely re-started OTTB, it's downright amazing.
By December 10th the hole tracked deeper and some new gunk came out along with a little more blood, we were really getting somewhere now.
 |
| December 10th - Abscess Tracks Deeper |
 |
| December 14th - Farrier Trim/Clean-up |
Alex started a second oral antibiotic (the second part of the 1-2 punch) on December 15th and will have that twice per day for 30 days. In the mean time, I continue soaking/wrapping and working him in his bandage.
Slowly, painfully slowly, he got more and more sound. Finally, I got an early Christmas present! After nearly three months of killing myself, worrying, waiting and hoping...SOUNDNESS!!! Not only that, but the "hitch" in his trot that I had originally thought might just be "part of him" was gone. Oh boy was it gone, he has a TROT and he's not even fully schooled on the flat! I don't think I stopped smiling for about 24 hours.
So, we are currently on day 18 of the oral antibiotic, still soaking/wrapping/working at my vet's request, but there's light at the end of this tunnel :-)
Friday, November 2, 2012
Really dude?
So frustrated... the "new" pocket of abscess still has not burst. Alex is buted and therefore walking around on/standing on his foot, but still reactive to hoof testers in the same place opposite from the first part of the abscess that burst through over two weeks ago. I've used the Animalintex pads since Monday night religiously changing every 12 hours. He's been soaked for 20 minutes each night. He's had Thermacare (really Walgreens brand) heat wraps stuck to his Animalintex in his night time bandage for three nights now, and still we wait.
Yesterday, I thought we were going in the right direction... pain seemed to be increasing even with the bute. He refused to put the necessary weight on the afflicted foot, that would allow me to pick his other front foot. His temperature had increased. I was very hopeful the damn thing would burst through in the next 24 hours.
This morning, nothing... in fact his temperature had dropped and he very willingly lifted his right front so I could pick it. Still he is reactive in the same area to the hoof testers... So I diligently changed his Animalintex pad, wrapped his foot back up and put him out.
Further complicating this issue, is that I have to go out of town tonight to pack up and move my mother. I won't return until Sunday afternoon. A friend has very graciously agreed to take care of Alex in my absence, but I really just want to be here... I know I'll be obsessing about it in my head until my packing moving duties are over.
Maybe...just maybe... I'll get a surprise when I go to soak/wrap him tonight before leaving town. The other side of my brain says "yeah yeah, you've been saying that for days."
I'm off to stock up on supplies... we're out of Animalintex, duct tape, diapers and baby food for mixing his meds. You should see the strange looks I get when I leave the Wal-Mart with diapers, duct tape, Epsom salt and baby food... people probably think I'm a serial killer.
This has to end soon, right?
Yesterday, I thought we were going in the right direction... pain seemed to be increasing even with the bute. He refused to put the necessary weight on the afflicted foot, that would allow me to pick his other front foot. His temperature had increased. I was very hopeful the damn thing would burst through in the next 24 hours.
This morning, nothing... in fact his temperature had dropped and he very willingly lifted his right front so I could pick it. Still he is reactive in the same area to the hoof testers... So I diligently changed his Animalintex pad, wrapped his foot back up and put him out.
Further complicating this issue, is that I have to go out of town tonight to pack up and move my mother. I won't return until Sunday afternoon. A friend has very graciously agreed to take care of Alex in my absence, but I really just want to be here... I know I'll be obsessing about it in my head until my packing moving duties are over.
Maybe...just maybe... I'll get a surprise when I go to soak/wrap him tonight before leaving town. The other side of my brain says "yeah yeah, you've been saying that for days."
I'm off to stock up on supplies... we're out of Animalintex, duct tape, diapers and baby food for mixing his meds. You should see the strange looks I get when I leave the Wal-Mart with diapers, duct tape, Epsom salt and baby food... people probably think I'm a serial killer.
This has to end soon, right?
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
It's Baaaack!
On Saturday, Alex went out into the field bucking and leaping and I thought "ladies and gentlemen, we've got a sound horse! He finished his SMZs on Sunday, on Monday I called my farrier and told him Alex was ready for a shoe...
On Monday night everything crashed... I went to get Alex out of his paddock and he was only lightly standing on his foot. I tried to dismiss it, but when I started leading him to the barn there was a familiar limp. I cursed to myself and went to find the hoof testers. Sure enough, he was sensitive on the other side of the same foot. Just like the monster in a horror movie, this abscess just won't die!
So we're back to soaking and wrapping with Animalintex poultice pads. I'm hopeful that this one has been caught earlier and will therefore burst earlier. I've also thrown it a curve ball by putting a Thermacare heat pad under the Animalintex tonight, to see if I can bring it to a head. We'll see, I'm using all my tricks in the hopes that we can kick this thing's ass once and for all.
Oh the joys of horse ownership!
On Monday night everything crashed... I went to get Alex out of his paddock and he was only lightly standing on his foot. I tried to dismiss it, but when I started leading him to the barn there was a familiar limp. I cursed to myself and went to find the hoof testers. Sure enough, he was sensitive on the other side of the same foot. Just like the monster in a horror movie, this abscess just won't die!
So we're back to soaking and wrapping with Animalintex poultice pads. I'm hopeful that this one has been caught earlier and will therefore burst earlier. I've also thrown it a curve ball by putting a Thermacare heat pad under the Animalintex tonight, to see if I can bring it to a head. We'll see, I'm using all my tricks in the hopes that we can kick this thing's ass once and for all.
Oh the joys of horse ownership!
Monday, October 22, 2012
October... month of the abscess
Well it's been a long journey since my last post... believe me, no one knows this more than me!
As mentioned in my previous post, Alex had his shoe pulled Monday (10/8/12). When I arrived at the farm to meet the farrier, they had put Alex out in his paddock. I went out to get him in the dark (it was early in the morning) and found that he had decided to lie down. I patted him on the face and clipped the shank to his halter. Gently I tugged on him to get up... he put the bad foot out and made a slight effort to get up... I tugged again, and again he rocked but didn't offer to get up. Finally after a moment he laid down on his side legs straight out head flat to the ground as if to say "Mom, my foot hurts SOOOO bad, I'm going to die, I can't get up, just leave me!" If it hadn't been dark, I'd have taken a photo of him because, although I felt horrible for him, it was so funny! Finally after some more prompting he managed to get up and began hopping on three legs toward the paddock gate.
After Alex had his shoe pulled on Monday (10/8/12) we started soaking and wrapping his foot. Poor guy wouldn't bear ANY weight on the afflicted foot (left front). I wasn't sure how he would react to having his foot soaked. I have had horses who didn't care and horses who literally tried to run me over the moment their foot touched the water. Alex it turns out was quite the model patient. With limited fidgeting/protest, he tolerated having his foot soaked and wrapped. Since he wouldn't bear any weight on his foot, he stayed in from Monday to Saturday, which meant I got the particular joy of not only soaking and wrapping his foot each day, but cleaning his stall twice a day, before and after work. Monday to Friday continued in this fashion. As Friday night came and went, I was starting to think this damn abscess was never going to burst!
Saturday morning it FINALLY burst through his coronary band over the right heel bulb. He experienced immediate relief, finally offering to stand on the foot. I felt relieved too :-) This also meant that he could start going out in his paddock, so that the abscess would continue to drain. And drain it did... for nearly seven days! In the mean time, Alex was also started on SMZs to really deliver the knock out punch.
Over the last week while the abscess has been draining, I've been changing his bandages and wet poultice pads twice a day, but thankfully not having to clean his stall since he can go out during the day. We've gone from very gingerly walking on the foot to walking sound; from a hot foot to a mildly warm foot; and from a swollen fetlock and pastern to no swelling. It has been a LONG road, but I think we are finally getting there. Tonight was his last Epsom Salt soak, as I haven't seen any significant drainage for 24+ hours and I've switched him over to dry poultice dressings.
Hopefully after this week and giving the hoof time to dry out and harden up, if he's completely sound, I can get his shoe put back on. Not sure how long it will take the abscess drain site to heal up, but he will have to remain wrapped up until it does.
Although this has been a long, trying and at times thoroughly frustrating experience, I will say one thing for it... Alex and I are now very bonded. We've spent a lot of hours staring at one other, sharing nuzzles and hanging out waiting for his foot to soak. He's endured soaking his foot in a tub, in a soaking boot and even having a trash bag duct taped around his leg while following the protocol for CleanTrax as well as having his meds administered orally and he's done it all without much complaint while he endured the pain of what I think must have been a monster abscess. Now he knows I am going to take care of him and I know he's going to let me. So although I would much rather have been riding, it's still been time well spent.
More updates as things progress!
As mentioned in my previous post, Alex had his shoe pulled Monday (10/8/12). When I arrived at the farm to meet the farrier, they had put Alex out in his paddock. I went out to get him in the dark (it was early in the morning) and found that he had decided to lie down. I patted him on the face and clipped the shank to his halter. Gently I tugged on him to get up... he put the bad foot out and made a slight effort to get up... I tugged again, and again he rocked but didn't offer to get up. Finally after a moment he laid down on his side legs straight out head flat to the ground as if to say "Mom, my foot hurts SOOOO bad, I'm going to die, I can't get up, just leave me!" If it hadn't been dark, I'd have taken a photo of him because, although I felt horrible for him, it was so funny! Finally after some more prompting he managed to get up and began hopping on three legs toward the paddock gate.
After Alex had his shoe pulled on Monday (10/8/12) we started soaking and wrapping his foot. Poor guy wouldn't bear ANY weight on the afflicted foot (left front). I wasn't sure how he would react to having his foot soaked. I have had horses who didn't care and horses who literally tried to run me over the moment their foot touched the water. Alex it turns out was quite the model patient. With limited fidgeting/protest, he tolerated having his foot soaked and wrapped. Since he wouldn't bear any weight on his foot, he stayed in from Monday to Saturday, which meant I got the particular joy of not only soaking and wrapping his foot each day, but cleaning his stall twice a day, before and after work. Monday to Friday continued in this fashion. As Friday night came and went, I was starting to think this damn abscess was never going to burst!
Saturday morning it FINALLY burst through his coronary band over the right heel bulb. He experienced immediate relief, finally offering to stand on the foot. I felt relieved too :-) This also meant that he could start going out in his paddock, so that the abscess would continue to drain. And drain it did... for nearly seven days! In the mean time, Alex was also started on SMZs to really deliver the knock out punch.
 |
| Foot in the tub |
 |
| Alex patiently enduring his foot soak |
 |
| The Monster Abscess! To the left is where it burst. (no worries, he has white feet and he'd just been soaked, he's not red because he got burned!) |
 |
| The finished product, not too shabby if I do say so myself :-) |
Hopefully after this week and giving the hoof time to dry out and harden up, if he's completely sound, I can get his shoe put back on. Not sure how long it will take the abscess drain site to heal up, but he will have to remain wrapped up until it does.
Although this has been a long, trying and at times thoroughly frustrating experience, I will say one thing for it... Alex and I are now very bonded. We've spent a lot of hours staring at one other, sharing nuzzles and hanging out waiting for his foot to soak. He's endured soaking his foot in a tub, in a soaking boot and even having a trash bag duct taped around his leg while following the protocol for CleanTrax as well as having his meds administered orally and he's done it all without much complaint while he endured the pain of what I think must have been a monster abscess. Now he knows I am going to take care of him and I know he's going to let me. So although I would much rather have been riding, it's still been time well spent.
More updates as things progress!
Monday, October 8, 2012
Unexpected Hiatus
Well it's been entirely too long since my last post and the only excuse I can give is things have been really busy!
My best synopsis of the last couple weeks, is that Alex has been doing really well with his training. We tackled the indoor while it was raining, which brought out a little bouncing around, and we started trot poles which brought out some confusion. Then things came to an abrupt halt... Alex came up lame this past week after having his feet done and I thought it was probably a hot nail, but then things went down hill in a hurry. My poor boy is now three legged lame with what I am sure is an abscess... had his shoe pulled and now we start the soaking and wrapping... oh joy... I get to train my super sensitive OTTB about being treated for a hoof abscess :-) More updates as things progress.
My best synopsis of the last couple weeks, is that Alex has been doing really well with his training. We tackled the indoor while it was raining, which brought out a little bouncing around, and we started trot poles which brought out some confusion. Then things came to an abrupt halt... Alex came up lame this past week after having his feet done and I thought it was probably a hot nail, but then things went down hill in a hurry. My poor boy is now three legged lame with what I am sure is an abscess... had his shoe pulled and now we start the soaking and wrapping... oh joy... I get to train my super sensitive OTTB about being treated for a hoof abscess :-) More updates as things progress.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)